Battery terminal and cable clamp



1934. c. H. CARPENTER 1,984,518

BATTERY TERMINAL AND CABLE CLAMP Filed March 27, 1933 INVENTOR (far/m Ua/pe/r/er BY I ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 18, 1934 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel clamp for electrically connecting a current conductor toa" terminal, and more particularly to a battery terminal clamp for: securing the end of a cable.

'5 to a battery terminal post.

The primary object of the present invention is toprovide: a clamping device having means for receiving a: terminal. postand means for receivingza cable, bOlihSOf said means being associated with a tightening element so that tightening of such element causes the clamp to tightly engage bothvthex-terminal; post and the cable to prevent relative movementofv any of said parts.

=Another objectiof' the present invention is to provide La clamping device including means for receivingxa terminal post and: the end of. a cable, associated witha tightening element that causes the" clamping device to tightly engage the terminals-post tosecure it thereto and at the same time tightly engage the end of the cable. 'Theclamping'portion engaging the post is entirelyseparate of the meansvengaging the cable, and the latter meansizis constructed and associated with the clampsso. that both'the cable engaging means, the cahlea and that portion ofthe clamping device adjacent thereto may be cleaned prior to assemblywith'acid;and after assembly receive a quantity of solder, so that application of heat thereto, by such means as a blow torch, causes said solder 30 to melt and flow between said parts in a manner to sweat said parts together. During such operation the parts are held in the proper relation by the tightening means, and in cases where the cable is to be permanently secured to the clamping device but the latter is to be capable of being quickly removed from the terminal post a film of grease or lubricant is provided by placing a quantity of the same within a space provided therefor in the part of the device that is associated with 40 the tightening means.

With the above and other ends in view the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation of the present clamp applied to a fragment of a terminal post;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

50 Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the wedge clamp element;

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the wedge clamp element;

Fig. 6 is an elevation of one end of the wedge clamp element;

Fig. 7 is .an elevation of theopposite end, and

Fig. 8 is a cross section of a modified wedge clamp element.

Like characters of reference are employed throughout to designate corresponding parts.

The present clamp includes a bodytportionul that has an aperture or bore 2 formed therein to receive a batteryterminal post 3. The termirial post 3 is illustrated in the drawing as :being circular in cross section, with the. diameter-decreasing towards its outer end, or in other words the post is of frusto-conical shape, in which case the aperture 2 is of corresponding shape. It is to be understood, however, that the parts to be presently described would function satisfactorily in combination with a cylindrically shaped terminalpost, or in combination with a post of angular cross section.

The body-1 is splittransversely'asat 4 to permit expansion or contraction thereof so that it may be. tightened, by securing means to be pres ently described, onto the terminal post'3 by contracting the same or loosened relative tothe post by expanding the same. On one side of thesplit 4 the body is formed. withan tintegralarm Shaving an aperture 5' therein and on the other side of the split with a hollow portion or socket 6. The rear wall '7 of the socket extends outward in substantially tangential relation to the body 1, and the wall 8 of the socket is directly opposed to the tangential wall '7, is of arcuate cross section, and is inclined relative to the wall 7 so that the walls '7 and 8 gradually become closer as they near the body 1. In other words the socket 6 is wedge shaped as viewed in plan and the walls 9 that join the walls 7 and 8 are parallel.

Slidably inserted in the socket 6 is a wedge member 10, having a fiat surface 11 adapted to slidingly engage the wall '7 and a grooved surface 12 inclined relative to the surface 11 at an angle corresponding to the inclination of the wall 8 of the socket. The end of a cable 13 is received between the wall 8 of the socket and the grooved wall 12 of the wedge and to move the wedge inwardly so that the walls 8 and 12 tightly grip the same to prevent its withdrawal, a bolt 14 is passed through the wedge 10 and through the aperture 5 in the arm 5. The wedge 10 is formed with a shoulder 15 that engages the head 16 of the bolt 14 to prevent rotation thereof while a nut 17 is screwed on its opposite end to engage the arm 5.

When the nut 17 is tightened on the bolt 14 the same exerts tensile pull tending to draw the arm 5 towards the wedge member and vice versa. Accordingly the wedge member 10 is moved into the socket 6 to cooperate with the wall 8 in tightly gripping the end of the cable 13 and at the same time the arm 5 is moved to contract the aperture 2 and cause the body 1 to tightly clamp itself around the post 3.

In the above described manner the terminal post and the cable are tightly gripped by the clamp to unite the same so that electric current may flow therebetween, the joint being permanent as far as accidental displacement is concerned, and quickly and conveniently removable when such removal is desired.

The present invention further includes provisions for making a permanent connection between the socket 6, wedge 10 and the cable 13. It will be noted that the wedge 10 is of hollow construction, the space 18 therein being greater than the diameter of the bolt 14. The space 18 is filled with such material as grease and the exterior of the wedge as well as the interior of the socket 6 are cleaned with acid, prior to assembly in the above described manner. When the parts are assembled a portion of solder is inserted in the space 19 in the socket 6 and the socket is heated with a blow torch until the solder is melted and flows between the cable and the walls 8 and 12 and between the wall 11 of the wedge and the wall '7 of the socket to unite all of said parts by sweating the same together. The walls 7 and 11 of socket and wedge respectively are not machined and their rough, unfinished surfaces unite to form spaces or channels that permit a sufficient quantity of the molten solder to pass between such walls in sufficient quantity to secure the same together while the partsare in a wedging position. The cable 13 is formed of a plurality of strands and the spaces therebetween' permit the flow of solder between the same and the wall 8 ofthe socket and wall 12 of the wedge. The grease in the space 18 serves to lubricatethebolt l4 and provide a film thereon that prevents a sweating action taking place therewith.

In Fig. 8 there-is illustrated a solid wedge 20 having a groove 21 therein corresponding to the groove 12 in the wedge 10. The wedge 20 is pro- "ingan aperture to receive a terminal post, said body being split to render it expansible and contractible, an arm integral with said body on one side of said split, a socket integral with said body on the other side of said split, a wedge member slidably received in said socket and cooperating therewith to grip the end of a cable, said wedge being hollow and adapted to receive a quantity of grease, and means for exertingl pressure for drawing. said arm member and wedge member. towards each otherto contractsaid body around said terminal post and slide said wedge into cable gripping position. v

2. A connecting clamp comprising a split apertured body adapted to receive a terminal post, an arm integral with said body and having an aperture therewith, said arm being integral with said' body and extending outwardly on one side of said split, a socket on said body on the opposite side of said split and having a tapered arcuately shaped portion, a wedge member having an aper cure and a grooved portion cooperating with the grooved arcuate portion in receiving and gripping the end of a cable, and a bolt extending through the apertures in said arm and wedge and receiv ing a nut to draw said arm and wedge towards each other to contract said body into tight engagement with said post and to slide said wedge into gripping contact with said cable, said wedge being hollow to receive a quantity of grease, and said socket having a portion to receive solder so that application of heat causes the solder to melt and sweat said wedge, cable, and socket together.

CHARLES H. CARPENTER. 

